Health authorities in Kano State have confirmed 12 cases of diphtheria at First Lady’s College, Mariri, in Kumbotso Local Government Area.
The outbreak was detected at the boarding school, which has more than 2,000 students, prompting the Kano State Centre for Disease Control, KNCDC, to launch an emergency response.
A school staff member, who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity on Friday, said health officials began responding to the situation on Wednesday after receiving a report about the outbreak.
The source disclosed that one student who developed severe symptoms had been taken to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, IDH, Kano, while other affected students were being treated within the school.
“They came with a Rapid Response Team, RRT, supported by officials from Kumbotso, Tarauni and Nassarawa local government areas,” the source said.
The Director-General of KNCDC, Prof. Muhammad Adamu Abbas, also confirmed the outbreak, explaining that the agency received the report on Wednesday and immediately sent a team to investigate and prevent further transmission.
“We received the report on Wednesday and went there immediately for investigation and response aimed at curtailing further spread of the disease,” he said.
“We tested 313 suspected cases, out of which 12 were clinically confirmed. We conducted active case searches in the school and confirmed the cases.
“We administered medication to all suspected contacts and sensitised other students on the disease,” he added.
The KNCDC chief, however, raised concerns about the shortage of vaccines needed to protect the school’s large student population.
He said the institution urgently required a mass vaccination exercise to prevent further infections among its more than 2,000 students.
“There is a need for massive vaccination in the school, which we presently do not have. We have to ask for more vaccines to administer to the students,” he said.
